From buildings that monitor structural health to concrete that rehabilitates itself, smart materials are the latest trend in construction. These innovations are transforming the way we build and reshaping the future of the world.
Smart materials change their properties in response to environmental stimuli like temperature, light, pressure, electricity, and chemicals. The changes they undergo are reversible and adaptive.
1. Transparent Wood
Researchers have tapped into wood’s strength for nontraditional purposes—from super-strong screens for smartphones to soft, glowing light fixtures. But the latest use for this renewable and sustainable material is transparent wood, which could soon be used in buildings and structures to provide a translucent alternative to plastics.
Transparent wood is based on lignin, an organic polymer found in plant tissues. Unlike synthetic polymers like polyester and nylon, which are used in commercial plastics, this natural polymer can be made into thin sheets that are strong enough to withstand structural loads. It’s also biodegradable and non-toxic, making it a viable option for environmentally-friendly building materials.
One of the most intriguing applications for this new smart material is transparency, which is achieved by adding a polymer to lignin that changes its optical properties in a controlled way. The resulting transparent wood can be used in windows, facades, and other decorative features that can respond to environmental stimuli.
This type of material can also be used to monitor the integrity of civil engineering structures such as bridges, dams, offshore oil-drilling towers, and other infrastructure. It can even detect minute structural cracks or flaws by utilizing fiber-optic sensors embedded in the structures. In addition, this smart material can be used to rehabilitate the cracking of concrete when it’s incorporated into the structure’s reinforcement bar.
2. Self-Sensing Concrete
The era of self-sensing concrete is upon us. This smart material can monitor, regulate and adapt to its environment on a continuous basis, making it one of the most significant advancements in the construction industry.
Self-sensing concrete can detect mechanical stress and structural damage in structures, such as bridges, roads, and buildings by measuring electrical signals triggered by changes in internal strain. It can also be used to determine the state of a structure’s health and its suitability for use by transmitting data about its integrity via sensors embedded in the surface.
Compared to conventional structural health monitoring sensors, this technology can provide greater durability and a higher sensing area, as well as lower costs. It can also be integrated with the Internet of Things to enable remote monitoring and decision-making on a larger scale.
There are a variety of different smart materials that can be incorporated into construction projects. A few examples include heat-responsive materials that curl up when exposed to harsh sunlight and flatten out again when they cool down, or Breathe brick, a new type of concrete that filters coarse particles and heavy pollutants from the air. These smart materials can help create a more sustainable and energy-efficient future. They can also create efficiencies in the building process and increase the lifespan of a structure.
3. Self-Healing Concrete
Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials in the world but cracks can develop over time if the structure is subjected to chemical attacks, physical stress or temperature fluctuations. Self-healing concrete offers a potential solution to this problem by autonomously repairing any cracks that develop, prolonging the lifespan of buildings and reducing maintenance costs.
There are several ways in which self-healing concrete can work, with the most effective being bacterial action. The bacteria are embedded in a microcapsule that is mixed into the concrete mix; when cracks form the capsules rupture releasing a healing agent which stops the ingress of harmful substances and helps to recover the strength of the concrete. Another method involves using memory polymer tendons that are manufactured into the concrete; when cracks develop the tendons serve to close them up, again restoring the strength of the material.
Another reason why self-healing concrete is such a game changer is that it can help to make structures more sustainable by reducing their environmental impact. The production of traditional concrete releases a significant amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere so any way to reduce this footprint is welcome news. Self-healing concrete also reduces the need for frequent inspections and repairs that require manual labor, further lowering maintenance costs and resource consumption. Self-healing concrete also aligns with the industry’s goal of adopting eco-friendly practices.
4. Biomimetic Concrete
Taking cues from nature, engineers are creating concrete structures that can monitor and react to environmental stimuli. These smart materials can respond by altering their physical state and then revert back to their original state in order to save energy consumption. This makes them ideal for adaptive and Net-Zero Energy buildings.
The emergence of new materials that can react to environmental conditions has transformed the construction industry. The technology is used to prevent structural flaws, detect earthquakes and even cure concrete structures that have cracked. These smart materials can be incorporated into a wide variety of building applications such as seismic-resistant structures, solar panels, shape shifting metals and photochromic coatings.
These new materials can be integrated into a building to optimize lighting and energy systems, control sun radiation and thermal conduction, regulate HVAC systems and reduce air conditioning costs. Some can even heal cracks by using dormant bacteria to produce limestone. This is just the tip of the iceberg for what can be done with smart materials in construction.
By merging the principles of nature with engineering ingenuity, architects and engineers are transforming concrete architecture into sustainable, resilient and visually captivating structures. The innovations are a result of biomimicry, an architectural design approach that seeks inspiration from nature’s efficient mechanisms to create sustainable buildings.